I need Cecil, or a competent surrogate, to provide the straight dope on this story/rumor: Around the time that Dubya owned the Texas Rangers, the post of Commissioner of Baseball became vacant, and he let it be known, or it was understood that he would like to have become the Commissioner. But, the league moguls decided instead on Bud Selig. One reading of this, of course, is that the owners did not consider him up to the task. And, by extension, someone who is not quite fit to be commissioner of baseball should probably not aspire to even higher office, although, as we see, aspire, and acquire, he did. How much of this is bullshiboleth, and how much truth is there?
The events are as you’ve described- Bush wanted to be commissioner before he became governor, and supposedly talked to Bud Selig about the likelihood of such an event. Selig denies having had conversations with Bush, as far as I know, but Fay Vincent wrote in his book that Bush told Vincent that he (Bush) had Selig’s support in his bid to be commish. Bush believed that Selig was not interested in becoming commissioner, and that Selig wanted him to get the job. As it turned out, of course, Selig was interim commissioner and eventually got the job outright. Here’s an article from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel about Vincent’s book.
As far as your reading goes, I can’t really speculate. Selig might very well have been the man for the job all along, in fact I think that’s likely. In that case the owners’ opinions of Bush need not have applied.
We are talking about the same Selig here, right?
Hey, I resemble that remark!
I certainly hope so. The one that’s ruining baseball, right? To clarify- Selig might have been the most likely candidate all along. Not the best man for the job, but the man who was probably going to get it.